This presentation was given by Jodi Charles at a side session at the Prince Mahidol Award Conference (PMAC) in Bangkok, Thailand, on January 29, 2017.

1. 1
SESSION 5
THE ROLE OF GOVERNANCE IN
IMPROVING ACCESS TO HEALTH
SERVICES FORTHE MOST
MARGINALIZED IN SOCIETY
Moderator: Bob Fryatt, Director,
HFG Project
Prince Mahidol Award Conference
USAID Side Meeting
Bangkok
January 29, 2017

2. 2
OVERVIEW
Jodi Charles, Senior Health
Systems Advisor, Office for Health
Systems, USAID

3. Marshalling the Evidence for Health
Governance
To address to this evidence gap, USAID’s Office of
Health Systems, through the Health Finance and
Governance Project (HFG), and WHO launched
Marshalling the Evidence for Health Governance
in September 2016.
Overall Goal
• To increase awareness and understanding of the field
of evidence on governance, how it contributes to
health system performance, and how the field of
health governance is evolving at the country level.

4. 2/8/2017 4
Marshalling the Evidence for Governance:
Contributions to Health System Performance and
Health Outcomes
Marshalling the Evidence for Governance:
Contributions to Health System Performance and
Health Outcomes
Jodi Charles, Senior Health System Advisor
USAID Office of Health Systems
Jodi Charles, Senior Health System Advisor
USAID Office of Health Systems

5. • USAID’sVision for Health Systems
Strengthening outlines key
priorities to help guide investment
in a way that is evidence-based, and
contributes to positive health
outcomes.
• Health Governance:
• Improving
Accountability/Transparency
• Building stronger
policy/regulatory
environments
• Civil society/private sector
engagement
• Engaging new generation of
HSS leaders
USAID Approach to Health
Systems Strengthening

6. • MtE came in response to
increasing demand for
evidence:
– Identify high impact
interventions in HSS
– Program scarce funds
in an environment of
competing priorities
– Respond to increasing
demand to
demonstrate results in
health
Marshalling the Evidence
(MtE) for Health Systems

7. Governance: State of the Evidence
• Increasing emphasis on improving the accountability
and transparency of health systems, strengthening
country policies and institutions as they move toward
UHC
• A recognized evidence gap in health governance that
results in avoidance of health governance efforts or a
reliance on a limited set of governance interventions
• There is need for rigor and more standardized
approaches for health governance interventions

8. Health
Governance
 Patient rights/
empowerment
 Policy &
Regulation
 Information &
Intelligence
Health
Outcomes
Broad Governance
 Democratization
 War/Conflict
 Corruption
 Public Financial
management
 Decentralization
 Accountability
Health
Services
MtE Framework: Multiple channels through which
governance may affect health – both direct and indirect
Source: Sara Bennett, HFG Project

9. Health
Governance
 Patient rights/
empowerment
 Policy &
Regulation
 Information &
Intelligence
Health
Outcom
es
Broad Governance
 Democratization
 War/Conflict
 Corruption
 Public Financial
management
 Decentralization
 Accountability
Health
Service
s
September launch event: 26 governance experts
from 8 organizations select four themes

10. ThematicWorking Groups
Four TWGs were formed to consolidate evidence
by conducting literature reviews and key informant
interviews from low and middle income countries in
these areas:
Public Financial Management (PFM)
Policy and Regulation
The Use of Knowledge in Health Systems
Accountability

11. ThematicWorking Groups (cont.)
• Members of the TWGs are from diverse organizations and
academic institutions
• The TWGs are responsible for consolidating evidence from
low and middle income countries and presenting their finding
at an upcoming event.
• EachTWG has two co-chairs who are responsible for guiding
the group to organize and package the research and field
practice on their themes

12. Expected Results
• Reports synthesizing the evidence on how governance
interventions in the thematic areas improve health system
performance and health outcomes.
• Specific examples of what some LMICs are doing in health
governance that is contributing to improving their health
systems and health outcomes
• A list of health governance priority areas where further actions
or evidence would be most useful
– linking to ongoing efforts to strengthen the evidence base
• Contribute to global agenda for health governance for UHC

13. Marshalling the Evidence Event in Fall 2017
• In Fall 2017, USAID and WHO will host a high level
event over two days in Washington DC
• The event will serve as a platform to present:
–The findings of the literature
–Review the results
–Introduce new approaches and tools
–Foster dialogue between development partners,
researchers, health governance practitioners, and
policy makers.

14. Timeline of Tasks and Deliverables
Definition of
terms and
scope of the
thematic areas
Nov. 2016
Literature
Reviews
Dec. 2016
Undertake Key
Informant
Interviews
Spring 2017
Write up of
TWG Reports
Summer 2017
PrepareTWG
Presentations
Summer 2017
Main Event
Fall 2017

15. Thank you